NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said beating up on Ontario's labour unions will not turn the province's fortunes around.

Speaking to a London Chamber of Commerce round table Thursday Horwath was asked about the growing number of "right-to-work" U.S. states, most recently the former labour stronghold of Michigan, passing laws that weaken unions.

Ontario Tory leader Tim Hudak has vowed to pass similar legislation if elected.

"A race to the bottom will not grow prosperity in Ontario. Driving down wages to become the next Alabama is not the vision I have for Ontario," noting that London lost jobs from the Electro-Motive Diesel plant to the right-to-work state of Indiana.

Horwath, whose father was an auto worker, said attacking unions will only further weaken the middle class and shrink the consumer spending that feeds the economy.

Speaking at the round table Horwath held out an olive branch to business interests saying her party has become more "open-minded and mature" since she became leadership.

"Small to medium business create most of the jobs in Ontario and if we want good jobs here we have to find ways to work with them," she said in an interview.

But she said McGuinty government's across-the-board corporate tax cuts were not working in attracting investment and said the targeted tax relief approach used by the Manitoba government is more effective.

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath was in London Thursday speaking to a roundtable of business leaders at the London Chamber of Commerce.

After the meeting, Horwath answered questions from The Free Press.

Q: With the neighbouring state of Michigan passing right-to -work legislation, is this a worrisome time for labour unions?

It’s a worrisome time for all Ontarians. If people think the way to prosperity is driving down wages they are in for a rude awakening. The province will be strong again when ordinary families feel confident about their jobs and the future. We have to be wary about snake-oil salesmen who say that turning Ontario into the Alabama of Canada is the way to go.

Q: What do you think about (Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader) Tim Hudak’s plan to take on unions?

“I disagree completely with Mr. Hudak’s strategy. Driving down wages and painful cuts does not create prosperity. It will only throw us back into recession. Any bank economist will tell you the same thing.

Q: What did you mean when you told the Chamber of Commerce members the NDP is more “open-minded and mature” since you become leader?

I’ve spent a lot of time meeting with Chambers of Commerce. We know small and medium business create most of the jobs in Ontario so if we want good jobs to stay here and be created here we have to find a way to work with them. I don’t have too much pride to ask for help from the business community and everyday Ontarians.

Horwath also answered questions from roundtable participants:

Q: Former London mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best, now a government relations adviser at Fanshawe College, asked why mature students can’t claim the provincial tuition rebate:

Tuitions are going to rise year after year, so the rebate will soon have no value. Our platform is to freeze tuition and to get serious about post-secondary investment. I hear a lot of frustration from Chambers of Commerce that the skills of workers are not matching the available jobs. We have to help colleges be flexible enough to meet those needs.

Q: Another member of the roundtable asked Horwath whether the NDP would pursue the contempt motion that tied up the Ontario legislature before Premier Dalton McGuinty made the controversial decision to prorogue the session.

The NDP only put up three speakers on the contempt motion. The Liberal and Conservatives, for some reason, dragged it out for three weeks. We thought that was a waste of our time. We need to talk about jobs and the health-care system.